To see the latest changes to ACBLScore® , Select Help/New from the main menu, then Look at New features.

Things to do after you have installed ACBLScore® for the first time:

Before you score any club games do the following:

After you have installed the new version, you will have to set up your club(s).

Go to Data Base

select Club setup

press “A” to add a club

This will allow you to type in the details of the club, such as name, address, etc. If you operate more than one club (more than one club number) on the same computer, add the other club(s) to the same database. There will not be a conflict between games, no matter how many you run at the same time, as long as each section is using a different section letter. After you have added your club(s), press F2 to tell the program about each sanctioned session your club runs. Add (as before, by pressing “A”) a club session description record for each type of game you hold each session. For example, separate records for each of an open game and a novice game. If you always, often or even only sometimes stratify that session, answer “Y” to that question. If you sometimes handicap that session, answer “Y” to the handicap question.

Select Setup from the main ACBLScore® menu and go through the various items in the Setup sub-menu:

Printer: Make/Model: If using Windows, you may want to Enable printing through windows (#3). Otherwise, select #1 and pick printer that you have from the list of printers. Most printers will emulate the IBM or EPSON printers. Select GENERIC only if none of the other printer selections seems to print properly.

Tournament/Club Mode: Selects Club or Tournament mode settings. ACBLScore® is used in all ACBL tournaments as well as clubs. Use this to select tournament mode for use only at Sectional and higher rated tournaments, or to return back to club mode.

Here are the steps to submit your club reports via email. You need ACBLscore® version 6.50 or newer. Your report can be sent from a different computer (ACBLScore® does not need to be on your internet computer).

On your ACBLScore® computer:

Select Database, then ACBL reports.

Select the month you wish to report.

If you have more than 1 club, select the club you wish to report.

Select “3 Both club financial and masterpoint reports for ACBL”.

Press ENTER at “Include unreported games from previous months”. (N)

If you see a red box “The following scheduled games will be unreported”, press F1 to see the steps for resolving unreported games. If you wish to exit at this point to resolve unreported games, press ESC 4 times.

The following steps will take you through the process of updating your club’s monthly report :

From the home screen of ACBLscore, click Data Base in the toolbar and select ACBL Reports from the menu.

In the Select Report Month screen, select the month for which you will be submitting reports and financials and click OK. You can choose any month in the last six months.

In the next screen, select the club for which you will be filing your report and click OK.

Click OK in the NOTE screen. If you don’t owe anything, you will be directed to the upload page.

The next screen will give you three options. Select 3 for both financial and masterpoint reports for submission. Click OK.

In the following screen, choose whether you want to include financials for prior unreported games.

Games that will not be included are listed in the next screen. Click Yes to continue with the financial report.

Select option 1 for reports as a File with coversheet to file reports. Click OK.

Click Browse to choose where to save the files for the report on your computer and then click OK. It is very important that you remember where you are saving your files as you will need to access them later.

The next screen states that all payments must be made by credit card, debit card or Pay Pal. Click OK.

Your total fees will appear in the next screen. Click No to finish the process later.

In the next screen, choose whether to include the list of non-members in your report.

Select whether you want to include unreported masterpoints from previous months.

The next message states that your files have been saved. Click OK.

You may now exit ACBLscore.

Open your Email tool and attach the LZH file that you just saved to your computer. The file should have the following naming convention RCCCCCCYYMM.LZH where:

CCCCCC is the 6 digit club number

YY is the year

MM is the month you are reporting for

Mail the .LZH file to clubreport.comment@wptest.acbl.org

Our system will compare the LZH file you send to the original monthly report and make the necessary masterpoint adjustments. If there are any additional fees dues, someone from Club and Member Services will contact you for credit card information.

To set up a short game of less than 18 boards (minimum of 12 boards): Set up the game as you normally would, paying special attention to number of rounds and number of boards per round to produce a short game. When you get to the event rating box, select #1 Club Masterpoint. No special games are allowed with short games. When you get to “Select club rating” pick box, select #1 Open (.08) for open games or for the top stratum (A) of stratified open games. For invitational or other masterpoint restricted games or lower strata (B, C), select the appropriate selection as you normally would from the “Select club rating” pick box.

Here is what to do if you hold more than one short game during the same weekly session number. For example you have a game at 6:00 pm and another at 8:30 pm on Monday evenings (weekly session 3). It is important to use a different section letter for the second game. If you used section A for the first game, you should use B for the second game. We suggest to add the second game to the same game file as the first game. Be careful to “Create a new event” when you add the section for the second game.

The formula for scoring fouled and adjusted boards is the one used by the World Bridge Federation and adopted by the ACBL.

For the mathematically minded, the fouled board formula is:

M = (2(NxS) + (N-n))/2n
where
M = final matchpoints on the board
N = number of scores on the board
S = matchpoint score within own group
n = number of scores within own group

Note this formula is used only when there are four or more scores within the same comparison group. The formula is also used on groups of three scores when it is the larger group (e.g., a board is played five times, three times fouled and twice unfouled). Otherwise the scores in a group of three are awarded matchpoint scores of 70%, 60% and 50% of top. In groups of two, the better score receives 65% of the matchpoints and the worse receives 55% of the matchpoints. A single score is awarded 60% of top for each direction. Scores are rounded to the nearest hundredth, .005 is rounded up.

These arbitrary awards are assigned since small groups are not large enough to warrant matchpoint assignments.

Go to ACBLScore® . On the top line you will see “Game,” “Movements,” etc. You want to go to “Setup” and enter

Go to “Printer” and hit enter.

Go to Make/Model and hit enter

You get a page of information which you may choose to read later, but right now hit enter.

You will probably see option (3) Enable printing for windows, arrow down to that and hit enter.

Click enter at the next screen and you will get a choice of paper orientation and select “Landscape” and hit enter.If your ACBLScore® takes up the whole screen. Hold down on your ALT key (usually to the left of the space bar on your keyboard) and while holding it down, press the “Enter” key. Your ACBLScore® will now take up only half the screen.

At this point, you should see an ACBLscore icon on the bottom line of your screen. There will probably be two but you want the one to the FAR RIGHT. Double click on it.

There is a box “Use Windows Default Printer” and if you have set your new printer up to be that default, please check this box.

Note there is a button “Print a test Page” and you might click on that with your mouse and see if it prints.

If the printer you want to use is not the default printer, then click on “Select Printer” and choose yours from the list.

When finished with this, click on “Exit” to leave.

At this point you can return to full-screen ACBLScore® by doing the ALT-Enter again, that is hold down on the ALT key and while still holding it down, press enter.

If using Microsoft Internet Explorer, click on “Run this program from its current location”. If not using Microsoft Internet Explorer, save it to the Desktop. IMPORTANT: DO NOT save it to your A: diskette. Install disks will be created later after step 7 below

After the download completes: If using Microsoft Internet Explorer, in the “Security Warning” dialog box click on “Yes”. If not using Microsoft Internet Explorer, exit from your browser and double click on the desktop icon (ACBL logo) that represents the downloaded file.

“ACBLScore® setup” should now appear:

The following applies when the “ACBLScore® setup” dialog box appears:

A previous version of ACBLScore® is no longer required to install.

If you already have ACBLScore® installed on your internet computer, the download will offer the following (no authorization code required):

Create FULL install disks for first time or update installation on any other computer

Start the installation on this computer

If you do not have ACBLScore® installed on your internet computer, the download will offer the following:

Create update only disks for another computer that has an older version of ACBLScore® installed. (no authorization code required).

Input an authorization code that will allow you to:

create FULL install disks for first time or update installation on any other computer

Start the installation on this computer

To obtain an authorization code, contact Clubs and have your club number available or call Phone 662-253-3154.

IMPORTANT: Do the following only if printing to a dot-matrix printer via an LPT printer port (not USB). ACBLscore must not be printing through windows.

Windows spools printer output for MS-DOS programs such as ACBLScore® . The printing often does not begin (or finish) until you exit ACBLscore; or Windows may display error messages from the printer driver. To disable Windows from intercepting and spooling ACBLScore® print jobs do the following:

If using Windows XP or 2000 do the following

Click on Start.

Click on Control panel.

Double click on Printers and faxes.

Right-click the printer you will be using with ACBLScore® .

Click on Properties.

Click on Advanced tab.

Click on Print directly to printer.

Click OK.

Close Printers window.

If using Windows 95 or 98 or ME do the following:

Click on Start.

Click on Settings.

Click on Printers.

Right-click the printer you will be using with ACBLScore® .

Click on Properties.

Click on Details tab.

Click on Port Settings.

If Spool MS-DOS print jobs is checked, click on the check mark to remove the check mark.

An internet connection is required if the club wishes to take part in world wide scoring. Also, if your club wishes to take part in world wide ranking, a program to send the results to the World Bridge Federation (WBF) must be installed on an internet enabled computer. The internet enabled computer does not need to be the club’s computer. This program (Ecats FTP client) can be obtained from the ACBL website. In your internet browser, open the ACBL home page and click “Clubs” then click “ACBLScore® .” Then “specifications and downloads”, then ECats Client.”

ACBLscore instructions

Set up the game as for a normal club game. When you get to the screen with the pick box titled “Select event rating” in the uper right corner, select “8 ACBL / World / District wide (Instant, Seniors, etc)” then “3 World wide Simultaneous Pairs” from the next pick box.

When you get to the box asking to input the WBF session number, use the 4 digit number provided with your game instruction packet. This number is used if your club takes part in world wide scoring and ranking.

After all the scores are posted, DBADD the game and generate the report for ACBL.If your club is not taking part in world wide ranking, ignore the following instructions.

If your players wish to see how they would rank across the world, an internet connection and the Ecats FTP client is required. The internet connection can be on the clubs’s computer or some other computer. To create the results for world wide scoring, use the WORLD command in ACBLScore®. Complete the on-screen form. Press F1 for help when in the form. Press F9 when done.

Compose an email to results@simpairs.com and attach and send the result files (c.txt, e.txt, p.txt, r.txt) created in Step 4.

Select fields to update in the target data base (on your hard drive) when a player in the source file (on your floppy diskette) matches (by ACBL number) a player in the target data base. Blank fields will automatically be updated. Use the space bar or + or – to tag or untag fields. Press F9 when finished tagging or untagging. A check mark appears to the left of tagged items.

When the import is finished, answer Y or N as appropriate to “Any more diskettes to import”. (Y)es if you received more than 1 diskette from ACBL.

Let’s say you have a 6 table Howell movement with 9 rounds and 3 boards per round. Pair 10 is supposed to switch from N-S to E-W at round three; however, they forget to do so. After one board they realize that they are sitting the wrong direction and they play the next two boards sitting E-W. To reflect this change in the movement on ACBLscore, type EDMOV at the command line. Select “Display or change movement” from the Select EDMOVE Option window, and “edit one cell” from the 12 item menu. ACBLscore will ask you the table and the round number. Then, it is going to ask you whether this will be a partial round adjustment. Press Y (for yes) since the pairs played only one board of the round sitting the wrong direction. Next, ACBLscore asks you the N-S pair number and gives the opponents of the correct N-S players as the default (with the assumption that the pairs sat the wrong direction at the same table) – in our case the default is pair 10. Then,it asks the E-W pair number and the board number. Press ESC after you answer these questions. Partial change does not change the pair numbers that are displayed when you select Edit or Change Movement option. However, the posting scores screen for round three changes to allow correct entry (see this change by using the RO command). The procedure to reflect the change in the movement when pairs 10 and 1 play the entire round sitting the wrong direction is similar to partial round adjustment except the fact that you should answer N to partial round adjustment and ACBLscore changes the schedule on the screen.

When you set up a 4-table Howell, there are two movements. One is called regular and one is called alternate. The reason why is that the people that sell the bridge game guide cards sell two different versions. ACBLScore® doesn’t know which one you are using and you have to tell it.

What you can do is this. Go back into the game and set it up again. Pay particular attention at this point: after you enter the number of tables (4) it asks you number of rounds (7) and you press enter and you get a choice of standard and alternate. Don’t press enter yet.. Actually go look at your table guide cards and pick the movement that corresponds to what you have and continue on. I believe that if you reset the game with this in mind it will “fix” the problem for you.

A: When you added the novice section, it was attached to the same event as the open game, and so the overall ranks for the open game included the novice game. When adding a second section for a novice game, and you get to the screen to select the event to attach the novice game, select “Create a new event”.

Your club had a special game. Masterpoints for special games are listed separately at the end of the ACBL monthly report.

Your club participated in a STAC. Masterpoints for a STAC are reported by the DIC (director in charge) from the game files that were emailed to him. These masterpoints are not included in your club’s monthly report.

The wrong player was entered in the game. Carefully check the press report for each game. Go into each game and type “LR” at the command prompt, choose screen, then choose Press only. Look at the player names and player numbers, and masterpoints.

A: Yes. When you generate a monthly report, it asks if you want to include unreported games from previous months. Answer Y. You will then see a list of all unreported games from previous months. Tag (with the space bar) the unreported games you wish to include.

if probably says A: for the backup location (if not put it in), press enter

you will hear whirring etc. as the files are copied

when the copying is finished, you will get a red warning, press enter

take the disk to the second computer

On the target computer:

start ACBLScore® and at the main menu, arrow over to Utilities and press enter

backup/restore is the first option, press enter

find option #10, import from a data base backup and press enter

for backup location, it should say A: and if so press enter. If not put A: in there including the colon after the A and press enter

press enter again

you will get four options in a red menu box, choose what you want to do eg #2 add players not found in target db only and press enter when asked to do so.The above will merge the players only with no attendance records or club info.

To get an exact image of the data base onto a different computer, replace instructions 2 and beyond with this:

find option #3, Restore Data base and press enter

press enter at the warning prompt that the existing data base will be destroyed.

Answer Y and press enter at the second warning that the existing data base will be destroyed.

for backup location, it should say A: and if so press enter. If not put A: in there including the colon after the A and press enter

If more that one backup exists, pick the backup you wish to restore and press enter.

You need to designate one of the computers as the “Master” that will have all games and will produce the ACBL monthly report. The other computer will be called the “Satellite”.

To combine the files:

Each individual game MUST have a different section letter. You need to bring up each game and verify that there is no section letter conflicts between all sections in all the game files, and change section letters as appropriate.

On the Satellite computer: Insert a floppy diskette and go into the game and enter BACK at the command prompt. This will copy the game file to the diskette.

Take the diskette to the Master computer and bring up the game. Import the other game(s). Use the IMP command to import sections from other games into the current game file.

The above is the procedure used by large clubs and tournaments that have more than 1 computer to import games into the same game file.

When you are in the game you can do any of these things, depending upon what type of report you want to send:

put LR on the command line and press enter for a recap

put SUMM on the command line and press enter for individual recaps

press F8 to get a list recap

After you do any of the above, one of your choices is “text file” so select that with the arrow key and press enter

Answer the questions regarding file location (where you want to save it to) and the file name and press enter

Normally C is your harddrive, but you can also select A if you want to put it on a floppy

Write down where you’ve saved it to and the file name

Open your e-mail reader (they are all different, you will have to do this part yourself) and send somebody an e-mail. Include the text file you’ve created as an attachment.Again how to do this depends on yor setup on your computer and you’re on your own for that. If you don’t know how to do attachments, then you won’t be able to e-mail results.

Steps for resolving unreported games when the financial report indicates some games as not reported:

If the game was not held, do the following:a. From the main ACBLscore menu, select Data Base, then Club Setup. If you have more than one club number, use the up or down arrow keys to
select the proper club, then press F3 – Edit/View club game records.

b. Press F5 – Create a record for a sanctioned game which was not held. Answer the three questions that appear in the small window. Comment should indicate the reason for no game (i.e., Sectional tournament, etc). Press ALT-X to exit Club Setup.

If you do not run any games for the club session number, delete the information from the data base: Select Data Base, then Club Setup. If you have more than one club, bring the correct club into view. Press F2 to work with sanctioned game information. Press N until the desired session number that you want to delete is highlighted. Press D to delete.

Bring up the game file. Go to Game, press F2, and select the game. Verify that the rating of the game is correct (near the middle of the information screen for the game). Verify that the weekly club session number is correct. If any of this information is not correct, UNDBadd the game, and reset masterpoints and carefully answer ALL the questions with the correct information (F9, then #10 Set masterpoint rating), and DBADD again. Examine the game file name on the bottom line of the screen that begins with ACBLSCORGAMEFILE. The last part of the name must be the date the game was held. For example an evening game held on June 14, 2003 will be named 030614 (E). If the name is not correct, UNDBadd the game, use the NEW command, press F2, highlight the game, and press R to rename the game and give it the correct name. After renaming it, select the renamed game, and DBADD. Use the TOURN command and verify that the club number and date is correct.

If the game still does not appear in the financial report, determine if the game was DBADDed from the standpoint of the data base: Select Data Base, then Club Setup. If you have more than one club, bring the correct club number into view. Press F3 to examine club game records, and press F to find. You should see a list of all club games that have been DBADDed. You can go to the end of the list by pressing the End key. If the game appears in the list, but not on the financial report, select the game from the list, and examine all the information about the game. Correct any mistakes by going into the game file itself (see step 3 above).

If the game still does not appear in the financial report, reindex the data base (Data Base, then Maintenance, then #6 Repair damaged data base), and DBADD the game again (see step 3 above).

When credit card information is entered into your personal computer for submission to the ACBL, it is not saved on your computer for security purposes. This procedure was implemented to protect all credit card customers from identity and credit card number theft. Also, credit card information is encrypted when we receive the file for your protection.